


Reunion at West 110th

by theoofoof



Category: Law & Order: SVU
Genre: F/M, Reunion, post 19x13
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-21
Updated: 2018-06-21
Packaged: 2019-05-26 14:57:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,995
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15003317
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/theoofoof/pseuds/theoofoof
Summary: Can a gift from Noah bring Olivia and Rafael back together?





	Reunion at West 110th

**Author's Note:**

> This idea came to me this weekend - I'm sure you'll see why when you read. Written in four days and betaed timely by motherbearof03.

“Momma?”

Noah’s voice carried through to the kitchen from where he sat on the sofa. He was eating brownies and ice-cream in front of ‘ _Despicable Me 3’_ , while Olivia cleaned up from their impromptu baking session. Since the child protection investigation, when Noah revealed he thought she worked too much, she’d tried to keep Friday nights free to spend quality time with her son. It didn’t always work out – it was a balancing act – but Fin’s recent promotion to sergeant was certainly helping.

“Yes, sweet boy?”

“Will we see Uncle Rafa soon?”

Olivia’s hand stilled, resting on the bowl she had been loading into the dishwasher, her son’s question catching her off guard. Since Rafael’s departure from the DA’s office four months ago, Noah had seen him a grand total of twice.

_He’d called her the day after walking away from her outside the courthouse and asked if he could drop by and see Noah; to say goodbye - he didn’t want the boy to think his uncle Rafa had abandoned him. Olivia agreed but had made sure to be at work when he called round. She hadn’t been ready to see him. Lucy informed her that Rafael had seemed disappointed she hadn’t been there and had left her a note. It took her two days to open it, and when she did it simply said he was going away for a while and he hoped she would still be his friend when he returned._

_His note hadn’t said when that would be, so it was quite a surprise to find him waiting for them at the park two weeks ago. Every Saturday morning at 10 am, she and Noah would hit the West 110th Street playground after having breakfast at their favourite diner. Rafael knew their schedule – he’d accompanied them several times before. At first, he’d explained his presence in the park with questions for Olivia about cases, but the excuses soon fell away, and it was clear he just wanted to spend time with the two of them._

_Noah was ecstatic when he spotted him waiting by the fence, wearing jeans and a short-sleeved t-shirt. The little boy wrenched his hand from his mother’s grip and ran towards him with a joyous shout of ‘Uncle Rafa!’. He bent and scooped the little boy up, hugging him tightly. He flashed Olivia a shy smile before Noah pulled him off to play. Olivia had taken a seat on a nearby bench, watching the two of them as Noah dragged Rafael onto every inch of playground equipment._

_He was tanned. That was the first thing she noticed, closely followed by how well the jeans and t-shirt fit him. The t-shirt was tight across his chest which, combined with the short sleeves, showed off his figure rather nicely. He was sporting a little stubble around his jaw too. Not a full-grown beard, just a bit of scruff. He laughed loudly as he chased Noah through the water sprinklers, a sound so free and cheerful and one that she hadn’t heard from him for so long._

_Confident that her son was in good hands, Olivia had used the time to check her emails and catch up on the news. When Noah appeared in front of her later, breathless from running, she looked at her watch and was surprised to find over an hour and a half had passed._

_“Uncle Rafa wants to know if you want a coffee.”_

_She glanced up at him. He was leaning nonchalantly against the railings, watching intently. She swallowed. “Not now, sweet boy. Momma has to go to work, remember? Tell Uncle Rafa we’ll get coffee next time, okay?”_

_“Okay,” Noah replied and ran back to Rafael to relay the message. He nodded, and gave her a small smile, trying unsuccessfully to mask the flash of disappointment in his eyes. Olivia instantly regretted turning down his offer. She had time before she needed to be at the office; time at least to speak to him, but she bottled out. Just as she had many times before; when he’d asked her for dinner or drinks._

_Noah gave Rafael another hug and waved goodbye, making his way back towards his mother. She took his hand and led him to the park exit. When she looked back, Rafael was gone._

“Momma? Did you hear me?”

Noah’s voice brought Olivia back to the present and she stared at her son for a moment, trying to refocus on the conversation.

Not convinced that she had heard him, Noah repeated his question. “Will we see Uncle Rafa soon”

“I… erm… I’m not sure, my love,” she replied, leaving her chores and joining him on the sofa. “Why?”

Reaching for the remote, Noah paused the movie he was watching. He turned to face Olivia, a serious look on his face. “I made him something at school and I need to give it to him this weekend. Can you call him?”

“It’s a bit short notice, Noah,” Olivia explained. “He might be busy. But I’m sure he’ll love whatever it is, no matter when he gets it.”

Noah’s eyes widened in panic. “No! It _has_ to be this weekend!” Noah insisted. “Please, Momma. Please call him!”

Olivia had never seen her son so adamant about anything. He was almost on the verge of tears. “Okay, okay. I’ll call him.”

“And you’ll tell him it’s really important?”

“I will,” Olivia promised, pulling out her phone. She scrolled through her contacts – gone were the days that he would be on her recent calls list – and had a thought. “How about you call him yourself,” she suggested to Noah. “Then you can explain how important it is.”

When Noah nodded, she pressed ‘dial’ and handed him the phone. Her son’s legs bobbed up and down as he waited for someone to answer. After a minute or so, he frowned. He handed it back to her and she lifted it to her ear just in time to hear the end of Rafael’s outgoing voicemail message.

The sound of his voice after so long gave her butterflies in her stomach; a feeling she was not prepared for. She hung up and took a steadying breath, hoping her son hadn’t noticed. She turned to Noah. “Do you want me to call back so you can leave a message?”

Noah thought for a moment, thinking about what he would say, before holding his hand out for the phone. Olivia redialled and handed it back to her son. “Wait for the beep,” she told him, “and then you can leave your message.” Then she stood and returned to the kitchen to continue her clean up.

“Hi, Uncle Rafa. I wanted to know if you could come to the park tomorrow morning. I made you something at school and I need to give it to you this weekend. Please come, Uncle Rafa. I miss you.”

Hearing her son say he missed Rafael tugged at Olivia’s heartstrings. Of the three unofficial uncles in his life, Rafael was by far Noah’s favourite; he idolised him. When he’d left, Noah had been upset, but when he’d visited to say goodbye, Rafael assured Noah that he would be back; he’d still be his ‘Uncle Rafa’. He’d sent him postcards and Noah had been mapping his journey on the map of America Lucy had bought him – putting a pin in every place that Rafael visited.

Her son had told her every week that Rafael would be back, but Olivia hadn’t been able to bring herself to believe it. The Householder case and the trial that followed had left him a broken man, a shell of his former self. He’d been disgraced, dragged through the mud by the press and disowned by many of his colleagues and friends, even his family. She didn’t blame him for wanting out, of reaching the end of the line. It was one of the perils of working sex crimes, she’d seen it many times. Most people could only deal with the darkness and perversion for so long and then a case or victim would come along and they’d be done.

She’d hoped his leaving wouldn’t mean that their friendship would end, but the lack of contact with her had made her think otherwise. It was why she hadn’t spoken to him when he came to the park, why she’d refused his offer of coffee. His sudden reappearance had knocked her for six. She hadn’t known what to say; didn’t know where they stood with each other anymore.

Noah entered the kitchen, phone in one hand and his empty bowl in the other. He handed them to his mom. “Here you go, Momma.”

She placed the bowl on the counter and pocketed her phone. “Thank you, sweet boy,” she said with a smile.

Rounding the breakfast bar, Noah clambered up onto one of the stools, so he could continue to talk to his mom. “I hope Uncle Rafa gets my message.”

“I’m sure he will.” He’d left a new number with his note back in February – his old one had been leaked to several journalists who were hounding him for his story – but she hadn’t used it until today. “So, what is it you’ve made for him.”

Noah shook his head. “I can’t tell you. It’s a secret.” Olivia frowned and Noah – having been told that he shouldn't always keep secrets that adults asked him to – was quick to add, “Don’t worry, it’s a good secret. A surprise. You can see it after Uncle Rafa. He has to be first.”

“Okay, sweet boy.” Olivia smiled. “Now, go and do your teeth and then you can watch the end of the movie.”

“Will you watch with me?” he asked. “We can snuggle up under the blanket.”

Olivia looked at her son and wondered how much longer he’d want to snuggle with her. He’d be finishing kindergarten next week and starting first grade in September. Time was moving too fast and sweeping her little boy along with it. “Of course I will. But not until those teeth are clean.”

* * *

The next morning, Noah still wouldn’t show Olivia what he’d made for Rafael. “It’s for Uncle Rafa, not you,” he repeated before asking eagerly. “Did he reply yet?”

“No, sweet boy. Not yet.”

There’d been nothing no text or phone call either accepting or declining Noah’s invitation. Not even one acknowledging his message.

Noah’s shoulders slumped. “Oh.”

Olivia hated to see her son so downcast. “He might still be there. You should put your gift for Uncle Rafa in your backpack just in case.” She ruffled his hair. “Go on, go and get your shoes, or all the blueberry pancakes might have sold out.”

Noah rushed off to find his shoes, not wanting to miss out on his favourite breakfast. Olivia sighed as she leant against the kitchen counter. She hoped she wasn’t setting her son up for disappointment by keeping up the hope that Rafael might be at the park. But even when he’d been gone, even though he’d not spoken to her for four months, he’d kept in contact with Noah, that had to mean something.

“I’m ready Momma! Let’s go.

Breakfast was uneventful – Noah got his blueberry pancakes as promised – and once they were finished, they walked the short distance to the playground. It was slightly busier than usual, and Noah’s eyes darted from person to person, desperately searching for Rafael.

Just as he was about to give up, a group of tourists parted and there he was, leaning against the railings just as he had been three weeks ago. Olivia spotted him at the same time as Noah and went to relinquish her hold on her son’s hand, knowing that he would want to run to greet Rafael. But Noah held tightly, dragging his mom along with him.

“Hi, Uncle Rafa.”

“ _Hola, mi amigo_.” He ruffled Noah’s curls before looking at Olivia. “Hi.”

“Hi.” She managed a small smile. “We weren’t sure if you’d be here, or even if you’d got the message.”

Rafael heard the disappointment in her tone and had the decency to look a little ashamed. “Oh yeah. Sorry about that. I was having dinner last night with Mami – we’re trying to reconnect, y’know? Anyway, she always insists I turn my phone off at the table, so I’m not distracted. By the time I got home and saw your message it was late and…” He crouched down in front of Noah. “I’m sorry if you thought I wasn’t coming, _amigo_.”

“It’s okay.” He shrugged his backpack off his shoulders and dropped it to the ground. “I made you something at school,” Noah said, starting to unzip the bag. He reached in and pulled out a folded piece of blue card, handing it to Rafael.

Rafael took the card and turned it over in his hand. At the top, a triangle had been cut out and split into two, both pieces folded down to form the shape of a shirt collar, and a Noah had painted a brightly coloured tie and stuck it on. Completing the picture were two strips of ribbon, clearly intended to represent suspenders.

“Wow, _mi amigo,_ this is fantastic,” Rafael said, even as his brow furrowed in confusion at the reason Noah would be giving it to him.

“Open it,” Noah urged.

A feeling of unease settled in Olivia’s stomach as she suddenly realised what this weekend was and what her son had made for Rafael. “Noah, sweetie-,” she began, but it was too late. Rafael had opened the card and was reading the words inside.

_To Uncle Rafa_

_Happy Father’s Day_

_Love from Noah_

_xxx_

His eyes widened as he took in the message, carefully printed in Noah’s own handwriting. He looked from the little boy to Olivia and back again, searching their faces for an explanation. Olivia tried to look calm and unaffected by events; as if her son’s actions weren’t causing her to have palpitations.

“Do you not like it?” Noah asked.

“N-no, no,” stuttered Rafael. “I love it, Noah. I do. Thank you. I just wasn’t expecting it, that’s all.”

Noah beamed. “Will you push me on the swings, Uncle Rafa?”

“In a few minutes. I need to talk to your _mami_ first, okay?”

“Okay. Five minutes,” Noah decided, before running off into the playground.

Rafael stood, his knees cracking as he did so. “Time for that rain check on the coffee?” he asked, nodding at a cart further up the path.

Olivia nodded.

“Skinny latte, no foam?” That had always been her drink of choice, but he’d been away, and a lot could change in four months.

“Yeah, thanks.”

He handed her the card Noah had given him and walked towards the cart, fishing about in his pocket for some cash as he went. Olivia watched him go and, picking up Noah’s bag, relocated to a nearby bench. Her elbows on her knees, she leaned forward, staring at the card. Father’s Day. It hadn’t even occurred to her that it was this weekend – it had never been a holiday that was on her radar. She wondered what on earth had possessed Noah to make a card for Rafael and cursed herself for not pressing her son further about his gift.

Goodness only knew what Rafael thought about it. She hoped he wasn’t offended or embarrassed. She wanted their relationship to go back to how it was before he left but hadn’t been sure how to go about it. Now though, her wishes could all be for nought.

Noticing him returning in her peripheral vision, Olivia took a deep breath. It looked like she was about to find out if their friendship was salvageable.

Rafael took a seat next to her on the bench and handed over her coffee. She took it with a smile of thanks. They sat in silence for a few moments, each stealing furtive glances at each other until Rafael decided they were being ridiculous.

“I see he’s learnt to behave himself in the sandbox,” he commented, nodding to where Noah was playing quite happily with two girls. They were working together to build sandcastles.

Olivia smiled. “I may have over-reacted slightly,” she admitted, thinking back to the conversation they’d had the previous year when she’d been afraid Noah’s genes had caused him to hurt another child. “Is this where you say I told you so?”

Rafael shook his head. “Never,” he replied.

Olivia raised a perfectly arched brow. He’d often been quick to say that in the past and he knew it.

“Well, almost never. Not this time anyway.” He reached for the card, taking it back from her and regarding it carefully. Olivia watched as his index finger traced one of the strips of colourful ribbon. “He’s certainly very creative. I mean, I think I actually have a tie with that pattern and these suspenders are right up my street, don’t you think?”

“I didn’t know,” Olivia blurted. It was too much. He was being too nice, and she didn’t know how to deal with it. At his confusion, she continued. “About the card. He wouldn’t tell me what he’d made. He said it was a surprise. It didn’t even occur to me that tomorrow was Father’s Day. I’m sorry.”

“Sorry?”

“If he’s embarrassed you.”

“I’m not embarrassed, Liv. I-”

“Uncle Rafa!” Both heads snapped up at the sound of Noah’s voice. He was approaching them, an impatient look on his face. “Has it been five minutes yet?”

Rafael smiled. “Not quite, _mi_ _amigo_ ,” he replied, grateful that Noah had yet to learn to tell time.

“Oh, okay.” He turned to head back to the playground, but Olivia’s voice stopped him.

“Noah? Come here please, sweet boy.” She shuffled away from Rafael and patted the empty space it left between them.

Noah frowned but clambered up onto the bench. “Am I in trouble?” he asked warily.

“No, my love. I just wanted to ask you about the beautiful card you made for Uncle Rafa. It’s a very clever idea.”

“It was Miss Waterworth’s idea,” Noah replied honestly. “Everyone made one. But I added the ribbon because you always wore cool suspenders,” he said, looking at Rafael.

“But why did you make it for Uncle Rafa?” Olivia pressed, attracting her son’s attention once more. “You know he’s not your Dad.”

“I know. I told Miss that I didn’t have a dad and she said I could make it for my Grandad instead. When I told her I didn’t have a grandad either, she asked if there was another important man I could make it for, like maybe an uncle. And I thought of Uncle Rafa because he does the same things Josh’s dad does.” Noah turned back to Rafael and gave a small shrug. “Well, you did… before you left.”

Noah’s words cut deep and, even though Rafael knew the little boy didn’t mean it them to, they still hurt.

“I’m sorry, _mi amigo_. You know why I had to go away, right?” Noah nodded. Rafael hadn’t gone into detail with the boy, for obvious reasons. He’d told him that he had to leave his job because he’d done something to upset his boss and he was going to take a much-needed vacation.

“I know. But you’re back now and you’ve not visited once!” Noah pointed out, drawing his lips into a small pout.

Rafael felt guilty, but the truth was he wasn’t sure he’d be welcome. He had no doubt Noah would love to see him, but Olivia was a different story. She’d hardly welcomed him back with open arms that morning in the park three weeks ago and he wouldn’t push his way into her son’s life if she didn’t want him there.

“I’ve been a little busy,” Rafael told him, “trying to find a new job and a new place to live, but that’s no excuse. I should have come by to see you. I _will_ come and see you…” he looked at Olivia, “if that’s alright with your _mami_.”

Olivia nodded. “Uncle Rafa and I will arrange something soon,” she promised. She hadn’t realised how much not seeing Rafael had affected her son. She knew now that, no matter what happened between the two of them, Noah still needed him. “Go and play,” Olivia prompted her son. “We’ve got to get home soon so you can get ready for Leo’s party.”

“Will you push me on the swings now, Uncle Rafa?”

Rafael glanced at Olivia. There were still things they needed to discuss, to sort out so that they could move forward, whether that be together or apart.

“Go,” she told him. “Maybe you could come with me to drop off Noah later and we can talk then?” She posed it as a question to give him the option of turning her down as she had him so many times during the course of their friendship.             

He didn’t though. Instead, he nodded. “Sounds good,” he said, then stood, turning to Noah. “Come on then, _mi amigo_. Let’s go swing.”

* * *

As it often did, swinging led to sliding, which led to climbing and swinging across the monkey bars. They finally got Noah off the playground through their collective powers of negotiation. Noah would leave if he could have one last go on the zip line… and if Rafael went on with him.

The two of them, sat facing each other on the small seat – Noah perched on Rafael’s outstretched legs, was certainly a sight to behold. Olivia giggled as they set off and their combined weight pulled the seat closer and closer to the ground. And when it stopped completely in the middle, leaving them hanging there, she couldn’t stop the giggling turning into full-blown laughter.

“I’m glad you find this so amusing,” Rafael called sarcastically. But it was good to see her laugh. She’d been crying when he left and the last time he’d seen her she’d looked pensive and anxious. Laughter was an improvement, even if it was at his expense.

When she finally managed to stop laughing, Olivia helped them down and they walked the short distance to her apartment. He hovered at the door for a few moments, still unsure if he was welcome before Olivia took hold of his sleeve and pulled him inside.

While she helped Noah get changed, Rafael took the time to get reacquainted with Olivia’s apartment. There were some new photos – Olivia and Noah, Noah at T-Ball, Noah and Jesse, the team – and a new throw draped over the back of the sofa, but everything else looked the same. It was almost – _almost_ – like he’d never been away. So much so that he found himself slipping into the familiar routine of shrugging off his jacket and picking Noah’s toys up from where they were strewn across the floor and coffee table.

He was just dropping the last of the Lego into the box when Olivia and Noah reappeared.

“I thought we had a conversation about using your toy box, _mi amigo_?”

“Sorry, Uncle Rafa. I’ll try and remember.”

“Good,” Rafael said with a nod, closing the lid. He looked up at Olivia. “Ready to go?”

Olivia turned and collected the brightly wrapped gift for Leo off the shelf. “Yeah. All set.”

“So, where is this party?” Rafael asked as they made their way out.

* * *

After dropping Noah at The Sugar Factory, Olivia and Rafael made their way to the nearest Starbucks. Rafael had suggested they just go back to her place, but she wanted to have this conversation on neutral ground. Then, if the conversation didn’t go the way she wanted, she was less likely to have an emotional outburst. Of course, she didn’t tell him that. She gave him the excuse of wanting to be close to the party, in case anything happened, and she was needed.

Rafael stopped outside the door when they arrived, pulling Olivia to the side, out of the way of the patrons going in and out.

“Liv… before we go in there… I want to ask you something.”

She looked up at him quizzically, wondering what on earth he could want to ask her before they’d talked about things.

“Do you…” Rafael stopped, giving his head a little shake. “I think we need to agree to be completely honest with each other. If we’re going to hold back or hide from things that might make us feel uncomfortable, then we’re not really going to get anywhere, are we?

“No, I suppose not,” Olivia agreed, although she wasn’t sure how comfortable she actually was with ‘complete honesty’.

“Okay. So, full disclosure?”

Taking a deep breath, Olivia nodded. “Full disclosure.”

Rafael smiled and reached behind her to pull open the door. On entering, he gestured for her to find a table, while he went to order. As he stood in the queue he considered their situation. Everything rested on this conversation. It could be the start of something beautiful, or it could be the final nail in the coffin of their relationship. Naturally, he hoped for the former, but he knew he’d hurt her by leaving and would first have to apologise for that.

He ordered them both a coffee and two muffins, one blueberry, one chocolate. Olivia tended to eat blueberry, but on rare occasions, she would go for the chocolate – usually when she was tired or stressed. He didn’t know which she would go for today, so he decided to cover all bases. He would eat whichever she didn’t.

Rafael carried the tray back to the table and set it down, taking a seat next to Olivia. As he placed her latte in front of her, she eyed the two muffins for a moment, before reaching for the chocolate one along with a napkin, which she unfolded and laid out on the table.

“So…” she began, picking off a piece of her cake and eating it.

“I guess I should start by apologising,” Rafael said, rubbing his palms over the rough denim of his jeans. “I’m sorry for leaving and not getting in touch. I’m sorry for hurting you… and Noah. But I meant what I said to him earlier, I will make it up to him, if you’ll let me.”

“I already said I would,” Olivia gently reminded him. She picked up her coffee and eyed him over the rim of the cup. “But this can’t just be a one-time thing, Rafa. If you’re going to be in Noah’s life, you need to be _in_ it. A hundred and ten percent. After everything with Sheila and…” It was on the tip of her tongue to say, ‘then you’, but she knew how much Noah’s comments about his departure in February had hurt him, so she stopped and took a sip of her drink to give her time to gather her thoughts. “I just don’t want him to lose anyone else.”

“He won’t. I promise. No more walking away,” Rafael assured, taking a sip of his own coffee. “As long as you’re alright with that?”

Olivia frowned. “Why wouldn’t I be?”

“You didn’t exactly roll out the red carpet at the park the other week,” he reminded her, returning his cup to the table.

Shamed, Olivia looked away, playing with the edge of her napkin.

Rafael reached over and stilled her hand with his. “Hey. Don’t do that. Don’t hide from me. Full disclosure, remember? I’m a big boy Liv, I can handle it.”

She lifted her eyes and found herself staring into his hazel ones. There was no condemnation there. Just openness and humility.

“When I saw you in the park that day, I almost couldn’t believe it. There were so many things I wanted to say to you, but the words wouldn’t come. Instead, I hid behind the excuse of having to work. I would have had time to talk with you, but I didn’t know what to say to you.”

“But you do now?” he asked, continuing without waiting for an answer, “so, tell me.” He lifted the muffin to his lips and took a large bite. He’d missed breakfast – too nervous at the prospect of seeing Olivia and Noah again – and he was feeling the hunger now.

“You sure you want to hear it?”

He swallowed. “I think I have to… if we’re going to move on from this.”

Olivia scoffed. “Nice choice of words.” She ran her finger around the rim of her cup. “When you said those words to me back in February, I was devastated. It was not what I thought you were going to say at all.”

Rafael opened his mouth to reply but Olivia shook her head. She needed to get this out or she wasn’t sure she ever would. Rafael nodded in understanding, lifting his coffee to his lips once more.

“Then once the sadness faded, I was angry. God, Rafa, I was so angry with you. That you could just walk away, without even looking back.”

Rafael knew he should let her finish, but he couldn’t let that remark go unchecked. Olivia shook her head to try and silence him again, but he persisted. “No. I need to say this, Liv.” His fingers curled around hers and he took a deep breath. “If I’d turned around… if I’d looked back at you and seen you standing there, I wouldn’t have been able to walk away,” he admitted. “It took all I had to leave as it was. I’m sorry I hurt you. But I had to go. I needed to get out of New York; away from the furore and the press… and the memories.” He closed his eyes dropped his head back. “God, the memories!”

“Of the trial? Of… Drew?” She hesitated to say his name, not wanting to bring up things Rafael had worked hard to forget over the past four months.

“Not really. Well, yes but it was more…” he trailed off, shaking his head.

“Go on,” Olivia encouraged.  “This full disclosure thing was your idea.”

 “I suppose it was,” he said, giving her his trademark half-smile. “I knew I had to resign. As much as Jack might have wanted me to stay, my position had become untenable. So, after typing out my letter I went for a walk to clear my head. This city has been my life for the past twenty years and, everywhere I went, I was bombarded with memories. Happy memories. Some of them life-changing and it was too much.

“I hurt so many people with my decision to switch off Drew’s life support. A lot of whom had been part of those happy memories and most of whom had disowned me before, or during the trial. Then there were the memories of working with you-”

“I didn’t disown you,” Olivia protested.

“No, you stood by me, every day,” he agreed, staring at their hands clasped on the table. “But to walk past the courthouse or the precinct or Forlini’s… hell, even the park, just reminded me of how much faith you'd put in me and how much I’d let you down.”

“Rafa… no. I never felt let down by you. Not once during our six years of working together. You frustrated the hell out of me sometimes, but you never let me down. Especially not during the Householder case. Or the trial. The only time I felt let down was when you walked away. I understand wanting to leave the DA’s office and to get out of the city, but… I thought we…” She felt tears prick her eyes and snapped them shut, not wanting him to see how emotional she was.

Rafael knew of course. As she had just pointed out, they'd known each other for six years and had been best friends for at least three of those. Together, they’d experienced a gamut of emotions from good to bad and back again. They had each other memorized; like the words from a favourite novel and neither of them needed to actually finish a thought for the other to know and understand what they meant. So, he knew, looking at her now, how he’d hurt her by walking away. He ran his hand through his hair.

“I’m sorry I hurt you. I knew what you wanted me to say outside the courthouse that day. And I _wanted_ to say it. But I had nothing to offer you… no job, no apartment, no credibility…”

Olivia paused with her cup halfway to her mouth. “Did I miss something? Are we suddenly living in the 18th century? What happened to Rafael Barba: feminist icon?” Olivia asked, raising an eyebrow in challenge. “You didn’t have to offer me anything, Rafa. I didn’t care that you were unemployed, or that your professional reputation had taken a hit. All I wanted was you.” Biting her lip, she continued softly. “I still do.”

“Y-you do?” He couldn’t quite wrap his head around that. After everything that happened, she still wanted him?

“I do, but…” she trailed off nervously.

“But…?”

“I’m not sure you want me,” she murmured, fiddling with her napkin once again.

Rafael’s eyebrows rose high on his head. “What?”

“You left to move on. And you did.” Olivia waved a hand, gesturing at him. “You look well… You’re happy, relaxed, content with life. A life that I’m not sure I fit into anymore.”

“You do,” Rafael assured, rearranging their hands, so he could interlace his fingers with hers. “The reason I look happy and relaxed, Liv… is being back here with you.” He paused for a moment, allowing the meaning behind his words to sink in. “I thought I would have been happier away from the city, but I was wrong. It was as if all the colours I’d started to see began to fade. They became dull, muted.” He paused, absentmindedly scratching the scruff that was growing on his face as he remembered. “I tried to move on, to ‘get over’ you,” he said, his nose wrinkling as he uttered the phrase. “But nothing worked. So, I came back. Because of you. For you. … if you’ll have me?”

Olivia raised her free hand to cup his cheek, her thumb tracing the curve of his jaw, feeling the roughness of his stubble. “Always.” She leaned forward and pressed her lips to his in a slow, sweet kiss.

“So, can I take you to dinner?” Rafael asked as he pulled back.

“I’d like that,” she replied with a smile, her voice soft but sure. “Although, you do realise we probably won’t be alone. Noah’s not going to let you out of his sight now,” she chuckled.

Rafael joined in with her laughter. “I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

It wouldn’t be easy. Life wasn’t a fairy-tale. Things were always changing, shifting. Neither of them could go back in time and change the decisions they’d made. But they could move forward. Their past was complicated, but their future was wide open. The relationship they’d had before, both as colleagues and as friends was a foundation they could now expand on. The last four months had changed them, but the changes could be discovered together, along with the aspects of a romantic relationship they hadn’t explored before.

It was like a ripple effect. One choice – one spur of the moment decision – could change everything. Rafael’s decision in that hospital room meant that he had to leave. In that moment, outside the courthouse, Olivia had been devastated to realise she was about to lose him but knew she had to let him go. Now though she had gotten him back, as something more than she had before.

There were still things to discuss, to work through, but sitting there, fingers entwined Olivia was certain they would make it. She and Rafael always had made a great team. When they were together they were unstoppable. And they were together; exactly as they were meant to be.


End file.
